He coached Delta to a 52-39 win over Yorktown on Friday night. The Eagles survived a lackluster first quarter which saw the Tigers emerge with the lead. They survived a 3-point barrage from Yorktown's Luke Avila in the second half.

And once the clock hit zero, Delta (5-0) remained undefeated.

"When you have two teams in a rivalry game, you can almost throw records out," VanSkyock said. "You can look at college rivalry games, high school rivalry games, it's always a battle and there are a lot of emotions."

Yorktown (1-3) started out hot on both sides of the ball. Bobby Smith opened the game with a basket before Yorktown forced consecutive turnovers on Delta's first two possessions. Brogan Miller converted and and-one to give the Tigers an early 5-0 lead.

"Delta's physical size, their athleticism and the pressure to be successful on every possession takes a toll on you," Yorktown head coach Greg Miller said. "I told our guys that we need to challenge each other in practice like the way we are challenged out there in the game."

Just 27 seconds into the second quarter, Delta's Josh Bryan drained a shot from deep to give his team a 14-12 lead. A few minutes later Josh Moore hit a 3-pointer and gave the Eagles a 21-18 lead they did not relinquish.

Yorktown's Bobby Smith fights for possession against Delta's Tanner Lambert during their game at Yorktown High School Friday, Dec. 9, 2016. (Photo: Jordan Kartholl / The Star Press)

The second half, especially the fourth quarter, slowed to a crawl with teams exchanging fouls on nearly every possession. They combined for 41 fouls, with Delta going 12-12 from the line in the fourth quarter.

Tanner Lambert had a team-high 15 points for Delta, while Bryan had nine points. For Yorktown, Bobby Smith finished with 12 points and five rebounds.

And it's the first time since 1997, when Paul Keller was coach, that Delta is 5-0.

VanSkyock knows the schedule will get tougher. There will be nothing easy about a road trip on Saturday night to Hamilton Heights.

But he also knows the team will get better. Rylan Sullivan played for the first time this season and looked fluid, although he's still getting his legs under him. VanSkyock said Tanner Lambert and Adam Haynes probably won't be in basketball shape until Christmas break or even later.

"This team has some chemistry that I've never had with any other team," Delta's Carter Anderson said. "I'm really excited for what we can do, and I think this run can keep going as long as we take it one game at a time."